Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, and Amish Secrets

Gregg Olsen

Apr 2007 · Sold by Macmillan

About this ebook

On Christmas Eve in 1985, a hunter found a young boy's body along an icy corn field in Nebraska. The residents of Chester, Nebraska buried him as "Little Boy Blue," unclaimed and unidentified-- until a phone call from Ohio two years later led authorities to Eli Stutzman, the boy's father.

Eli Stutzman, the son of an Amish bishop, was by all appearances a dedicated farmer and family man in the country's strictest religious sect. But behind his quiet façade was a man involved with pornography, sadomasochism, and drugs. After the suspicious death of his pregnant wife, Stutzman took his preschool-age son, Danny, and hit the road on a sexual odyssey ending with his conviction for murder. But the mystery of Eli Stutzman and the fate of his son didn't end on the barren Nebraska plains. It was just beginning. . .

Gregg Olsen's Abandoned Prayers is an incredible true story of murder and Amish secrets.

Ratings and reviews

I just can't imagine any parent doing what he did. What amazes me the most is that he is now back on the streets. What an intriguing story. My prayers go out the amish family, whom not only lost their daughter, but 2 grand children as well. My admiration goes to the cops that had to work such a difficult case. Yes, it was very graphic, but it also shows you that there are many sick people in this world and it should make you aware of who you are friends with. This was a very good book.

I liked this book at first but after a while it seemed to drag on. There new people constantly being introduced & were hard to keep track of.. But this guy lived a crazy life & I'm not sure there could have been a better way to tell the story anyway

Great read sad story , if these "POS" who had told so many lies to keep they're lives hidden would have tried at all to come up with something they could say to save a boys life. Maybe someone could have helped get the kid away but they were to worried about themselves and their story to save a boys life bunch of cowards.

About the author

Gregg Olsen has been a journalist and investigative author for more than twenty years. He is the recipient of numerous writing, editing, and photojournalism awards, including citations of excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists (Sigma Delta Chi), the International Association of Business Communicators, Washington Press Association, Society of Technical Communication, and the Public Relations Society of America.

A resident of Washington state, Olsen has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and the Discovery Channel. Olsen also appeared several times on CBS's 48 Hours, MSNBC's Special Edition, Entertainment Tonight, Sally Jesse Raphael, Inside Edition, and Extra. He has been featured in USA Today, Salon Magazine, Seattle Times, and the New York Post.